FARMINGTON, Utah (Nov. 21, 2021) - After an impressive Brawl of the Wild victory, Montana's Patrick O'Connell and Kevin Macias were honored as the ROOT SPORTS #BigSkyFB Players of the Week on defense and special teams. Northern Arizona's Kevin Daniels ran away with the offensive award after his record day on the ground.
O'Connell and Macias earned their first weekly honors of the season, with the defensive laurel marking back-to-back weeks a Montana player has won the award. The win for Daniels is his second of the year, having split the honor with fellow running back Malik Walker of Portland State back on Nov. 1.
Daniels rushed for 280 yards and five touchdowns to lead NAU to a season-finale win at Cal Poly. The 280 yards were the most in a single game by any FCS player this season, while his 90-yard touchdown scamper was the longest rush in school history. The 280 yards pushed Daniels over the 1,000-yard mark, as he became the first to do so for NAU since 2015.
O'Connell led Montana to a 29-10 victory against rival Montana State, as the Griz held the nation's third-leading rusher to just 50 yards on the ground. Overall, the Montana defense held MSU to under 100 total yards until the fourth quarter and limited the Bobcats to their lowest scoring output of the season. O'Connell finished the game with a season-high 11 tackles, with four being solo, 1.5 sacks and a QB hurry.
Macias helped snap a four-game losing streak in the Brawl of the Wild series for Montana as the Griz kicker nailed all five of his field goal attempts and made a pair of PATs to total 17 points on the day. Three of his five field goals were from over 40 yards, including a career-long of 50 yards that he split through the uprights.
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Others Nominated
Off: Marshel Martin (Sac State), Eric Barriere (EWU), Cam Humphrey (Montana), Davis Alexnder (PSU)
Def: Harrison Beemiller (NAU),
Conner
Mortensen (Weber State), Jeremy Harris (Sac State), Mitchell Johnson (EWU)
ST: Kyle Sentkowski (Sac State), Jackson Cleaver (EWU), Derek Arnson (NAU), Daniel Whelan (UC Davis)
Past ROOT SPORTS Big Sky Football Players of the Week
Offensive
Aug. 30: Justin Miller, Southern Utah
Sept. 6: Eric Barriere/Hunter Rodrigues, EWU/UC Davis
Sept. 13: Hunter Rodrigues, UC Davis
Sept. 20: Eric Barriere, EWU
Sept. 27: Eric Barriere, EWU
Oct. 4: RJ Martinez, NAU
Oct. 11: Eric Barriere, EWU
Oct. 18: Eric Barriere, EWU
Oct. 25: Jake Dunniway, Sac State
Nov. 1: Malik Walker/Kevin Daniels, PSU/NAU
Nov. 8: Roshaun Johnson, Idaho
Nov. 15: Eric Barriere, EWU
Nov. 22: Kevin Daniels, NAU
Defensive
Aug. 30: Kobe Singleton, Southern Utah
Sept. 6: Marcus Welnel, Montana
Sept. 13: David Hoage, UNC
Sept. 20: Harrison Beemiller, NAU
Sept. 27: Xander Gagnon, UNC
Oct. 4: Morgan Vest, NAU
Oct. 11: Jayden Dawson, Idaho State
Oct. 18: Daniel Hardy, Montana State
Oct. 25: Eddie Heckard, Weber State
Nov. 1: Morgan Vest, NAU
Nov. 8: Troy Andersen, Montana State
Nov. 15: Robby Hauck, Montana
Nov. 22: Patrick O'Connell, Montana
Special Teams
Aug. 30: Jake Gerardi, Southern Utah
Sept. 6: Isaiah Gomez/Brian Buschini, UC Davis/Montana
Sept. 13: Trent Tompkins, UC Davis
Sept. 20: DJ Arnson, NAU
Sept. 27: Kyle Sentkowski, Sac State
Oct. 4: Jackson Cleaver, EWU
Oct. 11: Kevin Ryan, Idaho State
Oct. 18: Blake Glessner, Montana State
Oct. 25: Daniel Whelan, UC Davis
Nov. 1: Rashid Shaheed, Weber State
Nov. 8: Bryce Leighton, Montana State
Nov. 15: Jaden Ohlsen, Cal Poly
Nov. 22: Kevin Macias, Montana